Transportation News, Volume 25, Number 9, May 2000 Page: 6
16 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 41 x 29 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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6 T~'ansportation News May 2000
FAST FACTS
World Trade Bridge opens
Laredo hosts celebration of $32.8 million roadwayA mother and child sign a pledge
to use child safety seats regular-
ly at a TxDOT booth at the recent
Rio Grande Livestock Show in
the Pharr District. See related
story, Page 12.
Child Seat Safety
Most fatal crashes occur at
speeds less than 40 mph and close
to home, so constant use of safety
seats is vital.
If a child seat has been involved,
don't use it; it would be difficult to
know if its integrity has been pre-
served.
Even though 65 percent of chil-
dren are restrained in some form of
safety device, there is a 30 percent
significant error rate on the part of
the user. It's very important to follow
carefully the manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Car seats need to have been
made after Jan. 1, 1981 to be
crash-tested and approved by the
federal government and neet STD
213-80 criteria.
The safest place for any child
under 12 is in the back seat. Every
child should be buckled in a child
safety seat, a booster seat or with a
lap/shoulder belt if it fits.
Source: www.nh.ultranet.com
DEADUEST TORNADOES
In Texas since 1950
(ranked by state)
1. Waco, May 11, 1953;
150 fatalities
17. WichitaFalls, April 10,
1979; 54 fatalities
19. Lubbock, May 11, 1970
51 fatalities
Ranking in number of torna-
does from 1950 to 1996:
1. Texas: 5,860
2. Oklahoma: 2,428
3. Kansas: 2,249
4. Florida: 2,170
5. Nebraska: 1,759
6. Iowa: 1,438
7. Illinois: 1,274
8. Colorado: 1,259
9. Missouri: 1,229
10. South Dakota: 1,194By Marco Alvarado
Laredo District
Tractor-trailer rigs headed to
Mexico can now use the new
World Trade Bridge via the
Texas Department of
Transportation's $32.8 million
approach roadway.
TxDOT officials, including
outgoing Commissioner David
Laney and Assistant Executive
Director Kirby Pickett, joined
U.S. Transportation Secretary
Rodney Slater and numerous
other dignitaries at a ribbon-cut-
ting ceremony April 14 to mark
the completion of the city's
fourth international bridge.
Both the bridge and the con-
necting roadway began accepting
commercial traffic Saturday,
April 15.
Construction of the roadway
between Mines Road and
Interstate 35 began in February
1999 and includes all drainage
systems and structures.
The new highway, which is
the extension of Bob Bullock
Loop, consists of a four-lane
controlled access thoroughfare
complete with 12-foot-wide
lanes and two-lane-wide
frontage roads with shoulders.
Additionally, the Texas
Transportation Commission
awarded a $59.7 million contract
in July 1999 to Deavers
Construction, Inc., of Austin for
the construction of an inter-
change system at Bob Bullock
Loop and Interstate 35.
The project includes the con-
struction of bridges at Interstate
35 over Bob Bullock Loop, two
direct connectors, and frontage
roads on Bob Bullock Loop from
1-35 east to McPherson Road.
Plans also call for the recon-
struction of existing frontage
roads along 1-35. The project isLaredo Mayor Elizabeth G. Flores (center) and Celedon Trucking Com-
pany driver Portia Shannon (left) are joined by (from right) State Sen.
Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney
Slater and State Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, for the ribbon-cutting to
mark the opening of the World Trade Bridge in Laredo on April 14.about 30 percent complete.
"This is a historic day for the
city of Laredo and the Texas
Department of Transportation,"
Laney said. "Laredo is among
the fastest growing cities in
America and we're determined to
keep the wheels of commerce in
high gear by funding vital proj-
ects such as these."
"Together, the extension of
Bob Bullock Loop and the Milo
Interchange represent a $92.5
million investment in border
trade transportation," Pickett
said. " It takes all the trans-
portation players - citizens,
contractors, legislators, ourdepartment, and federal
resources - to build these kinds
of projects that will keep Laredo
and the State of Texas an inter-
national trade partner."
Others in attendance at the
opening ceremony included
Laredo Mayor Elizabeth G.
Flores, Nuevo Laredo Mayor
Horacio Garza Garza, U.S.
Department of Housing and
Urban Development Deputy
Secretary Saul N. Ramirez Jr.,
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-
Laredo; State Rep. Henry
Cuellar, D-Laredo, and State
Rep. Tracy O. King, D-Uvalde.
Retirees wanted
Transportation News is
ready to resume its month-
ly column on the activities
of the agency's retirees
thanks to the efforts of a
handful of subscribers who
responded to an earlier
plea for 'Good Life' cards
and other correspondence.
We still need retirees' news
in order to keep the column
going. Information cards
like the one at left are avail-
able at district offices.
Thanks!
- Lisa Trow, editorI'm living 'The Good Life'
Name Age (optisnal)
Retired fre where? (district/divisWeffic and section) _
When? (mentyear) _At what a4e? (optional)
After row many yrs of service?
Recent activities
Phne number (_ ) _HometownSource: University of Michigan
............. ...
6
Transportation News
May 2000
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Texas. Department of Transportation. Transportation News, Volume 25, Number 9, May 2000, periodical, May 2000; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth576386/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.